(LOS ANGELES, C.A.) – Jacob and Lindsey Dunn founded Sow Eden Organics, a premium cannabidiol (CBD) product company, that recently acquired an Industrial Hemp Enrollment and Oversight (IHEO) Authorization. This authorization allows the manufacturing, packing, holding, and selling of CBD-infused products in California.
The Click spoke to Sow Eden Organics about the brand’s origins, how they handle public hesitancies regarding CBD, and their latest developments. This interview was edited for clarity and length.
The Click: Sow Eden Organics merges both of your passions for natural skin care, wellness, and the benefits of CBD. Can you tell me more about how this combination led to creating the company?
Jacob Dunn (J.D.): “I’ve been into cannabis since I was like 17 and I’m 37 now. My mom was always really into our products and she wanted me to make her stuff. She had ovarian cancer, and unfortunately passed away about two years ago, but CBD and cannabis were instrumental in her wellness journey and after chemo. My grandfather also had kidney disease and I developed these products to help him cope with the side effects from pharmaceuticals…When I met Lindsey she had never tried cannabis so I got her into cannabis and she got me into skin care.”
Lindsey Dunn (L.D.): “He was making the products – it was a small batch – out of his house. He had really loyal customers and positive feedback and we were like ‘we can really make this bigger’…That’s how we started developing different products because he just went from making capsules into tinctures [oils infused with CBD and other herbs] and we wanted to expand into beauty and skin care.”
The Click: What is the meaning behind the name? What impression do you want people to have when they hear Sow Eden Organics?
J.D.: “Sow as in sowing seeds and planting this garden and returning to paradise. I studied biblical studies in grad school and undergrad so this idea of me bringing in my passions in archaeology and the bible and history, it’s sort of like this conceptual idea of Eden being a Paradise Lost…When [people] hear Sow Eden, I want them to feel like they are tuning into a brand that cares about their body and their wellness.”
The Click: What was the application process like for the IHEO Authorization?
J.D.: “We had to go through a licensing process where we applied with the state of California. We had to apply for a series of applications for several different licenses from cosmetics to food for manufacturing. We had a California Department of Public Health inspector come to our facility and they do an inspection. They make sure we are keeping track of all of our paperwork. [They inspect this because] when we get raw ingredients in from our supplier we have to document and examine the contents and make sure that it’s not adulterated…and we document all that paperwork. They want to make sure that we follow good manufacturing practices, GMP.”
The Click: How would you respond to someone who is hesitant to use CBD products?
L.D.: “It’s so hard to get somebody to try it but we find that once they try it they’re like ‘wow what was I so scared about.’”
J.D.: “I think the hesitancies, it’s implanted in people just because cannabis has this bad rap and it has a negative stigma. You say CBD and people kind of just go ‘what is that?’ and their initial reaction is ‘we’re scared.’ I think that’s the hurdle to trying to convince people that CBD will not get them high. People should be skeptical but also ask questions. Like what type of ingredients are [companies and their products] using?… Don’t be afraid to try CBD as long as you’re trying a lab tested product that has credibility and there’s transparency.”
The Click: What are the next steps or goals for Sow Eden Organics? Are there any new products or developments you can share?
J.D.: “We recently put a lot of money into our new website that launches on Oct. 3. The old website is aesthetically pleasing but it’s not always user-friendly, particularly for elderly people.”
L.D.: “We wanna make it easy to use our website, learn about our products, and check out…so hopefully it will help.”
Browse their products at www.soweden.com or on Instagram @sow.eden.organics.